Viral infections constitute a widely spread disease caused by a large number of different viruses. In animals, in particular mammals, viral infections typically lead to inflammation reactions in their hosts as part of the immune defence response. Said inflammation reactions can cause discomfort and, in certain cases, further medical complications in the infected subject. Hence, it is desirable to reduce the inflammation brought about by viral infections.
The plant Petasites is commonly also referred to as Butterbur and Petasites extracts can be gained from the plant, in particular from the leaves and/or the rhizome. The production of Petasites extracts is well known in the art. However, depending on the extraction protocol the extracts can comprise pyrrolizdine-alkaloids which can be hepatotoxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic.